


love, run

by angeryginger



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Feral Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Hurt/Comfort, Immortal Jaskier | Dandelion, M/M, Multi, No love triangles we polyamory like men, Soft Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Yennefer is a total badass and a good surrogate parent, magic and sex and healing and lot of things are going to happen, ok so jaskier dies but i promise it will be ok
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:34:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22947142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angeryginger/pseuds/angeryginger
Summary: Love run, love runFor all the things you wished you’d doneRun for all you know that’s comingRun to show that love’s worth running toJaskier dies. Geralt stays. Yennefer saves. Ciri heals.
Relationships: Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon & Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon & Jaskier | Dandelion, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon & Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion/Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Jaskier | Dandelion & Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg
Kudos: 86





	1. keep running, it's up to you now

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is based off of the first album from Joey Batey's band, The Amazing Devil. I've been listening to it non-stop, and the themes were just taking over my brain. I had to start writing this, and the first chapter just kind of fell out of my head and into google docs.

The rustling of leaves had sounded so nice a minute ago. Now, with his head pounding, it's like the foliage was forming huge waves and crashing into him. The rhythm of their crunching and crackling only becoming more pronounced with every moment. _Crunch._

_Crunch._

_Crunch crunch crunch crunch-_

“Jaskier!”

His eyes blinked open, slowly. Light from the surrounding forest assaulted him, and his head fell back against the trunk of the tree he'd been dreaming was a feather bed. “Hello. Lovely to see you. Wish it were under better circumstances, but-”

“What happened to you? Who did this?”

“Ah, just a tricksy werewolf, but it’s no matter.” Jaskier’s sight began to blur as he soldiered on, “I have a friend you see, he knows how to kill werewolves. He’s not here at the moment, and he's not _really_ my friend right n…” He could feel his eyes slipping closed, almost to compensate for the wide-eyed, golden glare of his-

Well, something. His someone? His head hurt worse now, somehow.

“Stay awake, Jaskier. Listen to me. Can you hear me?”

Jaskier’s head was starting to feel as heavy as his eyelids, but his subconscious itched at the tone in the person’s voice; the gruffness and urgency only belonged to one man - well, witcher - that he knew. _Right, Geralt._ He smiled, “I’m here. Hello, Geralt.” 

Through the narrow slits of his eyelids, Jaskier could see Geralt pressing one hand to his flank and the other to his temple. In truth, he could not feel much of the pressure that he knew should be nearly too painful to stand, but the gesture steadied him enough to go on.

“Geralt, you should go.”

Unnatural yellow eyes widened even more, impossibly. The throbbing in Jaskier’s head had begun to recede - probably not a good sign - enough to hear a familiar growl. Geralt’s voice rumbled, “I’m not going. If there is a werewolf, it has to be killed. And I have to - fuck - I’ll get a healer, or a mage. I’ll help you.”

Jaskier’s slack mouth tightened into a false smile. “It’s alright, Geralt. You can go. You deserve to have what you want, and extending my life will not help you in that pursuit. So this is a blessing, after all-” A shiver raced through Jaskier’s body, intense enough to force his eyes open further and clear his thoughts. He rasped, “Go to Cintra. If you accept one Destiny, let it be what waits for you in Cintra. She doesn’t have much time left there...”

Jaskier’s sight left him, then. His smile relaxed and turned real. After all, if the last thing he ever saw was Geralt, holding him, _well_.

There are worse ways to die.

_O let the world come at you, love_

_Like distant toms a-drumming_

_Love, run! A song you know's begun_

_O let the earth a-tumble, love_

_And humble you withal_

_Keep running. It’s up to you now_

_Up to you now love to_

_Run, love run_

_For all the things you’ve done_

_Run for all the things that drum_

_Run for all those pages thumbed_

_Love run, love run_

_For all the things you wished you’d done_

_Run for all you know that’s coming_

_Run to show that love’s worth running to_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: forbidden magic, promises, and pain. Yennefer may have to admit to having feelings, but she's going to drag Geralt kicking and screaming with her.


	2. the light that you keep burning there

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _The wind and its shackles, the old fishers tackles  
>  The sea and its waters, every unwanted daughter  
> Every moon in the sky  
> Every promise and lie_
> 
> _All that matters  
>  Is that you’re here  
> All that matters  
> All hell and its fire waits for us  
> _
> 
> Yennefer reveals a bit more than usual, Geralt gets wrapped up in her chaos, what else is new?

In an instant, Geralt was alone again.

The forest was quiet. Entirely, wholly, deeply quiet.

Right, the werewolf was probably close by, though likely already transformed back to human in the early light. The other animals in the forest knew to stay hidden and silent at these times, even when the danger had likely passed.

_Still-_

_A killer is a killer._

Tracking and dispatching the disoriented, exhausted beast was barely a challenge. She was getting up in years, even a little frail, and Geralt cursed himself for allowing Jaskier to - for not being there when - 

_Fuck_.

Jaskier should have been protected, even from that pitiful excuse for a monster. There would be no coin here, and no glory to go with it. He left the woman's body where it fell.

Geralt walked back to where Jaskier was slumped against an old tree, his blood slowly soaking into the earth. The sight made Geralt's vision blur for a few moments.

"I felt it."

Geralt spun, his hand already reaching for a sword, and then faltered. Yennefer stood a few meters away and stared blankly at Jaskier's body. She whispered, "or, maybe I felt _you_ feel it."

"I'm fine," Geralt said flatly. "I'm sorry if you thought you had to come."

Her violet eyes snapped to Geralt, furious. "You're...fine?" she asked, doubting. "Witcher, if I'm not fine, I know you're hurt by this, too. At least grant his life enough respect to admit it."

"You hated each other!"

"You're a blind man, then." Yennefer moved to Jaskier's side as her voice grew louder, "the mighty Witcher can hunt in the dark, sense magic, and pull a mage to his side with a thought. And yet he can't see playing, bitchiness, rivalry, or even _friendship_ , when it's being volleyed past his fucking nose! He was jealous and I was petty, and even through that I could tell that I loved him, just a little."

Geralt pinched the bridge of his nose at her boldness. Yennefer just...said things when she felt them. That may have been the thing that made her strongest, even after lifetimes as an overpowered mage. He sighed, resigned. "...He does tend to have that effect."

-

Geralt wrapped Jaskier in his old cloak and placed him on the other side of the tree line - still in sight, but far enough to avoid the sting of an accidental glance - while Yennefer helped him make camp. Neither felt quite ready to leave the forest yet, and neither felt like talking about why.

Yennefer's tent was set up - two beds close enough to reach out, but not to share, waited inside - and she seemed content to help forage for food while Geralt looked for game.

After several minutes of padding through the undergrowth, he spotted a doe. She was close enough to shoot easily and had not seen him yet, even as hulking as he was. He slowly drew his nocked arrow back, took aim, and-

"Geralt!"

 _Fuck_. The doe leapt away before he could recover, and now he was deprived of both an arrow and a meal.

He stomped back toward camp. "What? What was so crucial that we aren't able to eat?"

Yennefer was knelt on the ground by a tree, not far from where Jaskier had fallen. She was speaking to a patch of earth and stems in hushed tones. A basket at her side was laden with herbs and mushrooms, enough to make a hearty stew. Her hands were covered in blood and dirt, and her eyes were wild.

"Yen, whatever you think is worth eating from that ground, I'll pass."

"No, no you need to come here, Geralt. Come look with me."

Geralt huffed, but complied. Yennefer's fingers clasped the tops of a root, slightly stained by blood. The twisting shape slowly being cleaned of dirt was immediately recognizable. Alraun, or maybe mandrake. _Fuck_. "Yennefer, absolutely not. I'm not making a golem from a fucking vegetable."

"That's not what it would be, and you know it."

"It's close enough to true, Yen. It wouldn't be him-" Geralt sighed, "you...you have to know it would not be Jaskier."

"Oh, yes, I just love when you feel like you know more about magic than I do. It's such a treat and a delight to prove you wrong. Stories of alraun are old, but the magic is here, and I can do it," Yennefer said. Her eyebrow quirked and Geralt could see she was aiming for superiority, but he noted the tension in her voice. The hope.

Why the fuck did he have to fall in love with a mage? An ambitious, absolutely insane, exceedingly talented mage, at that. _Fuck_. Even without his help, she would see this to its end. Geralt busied himself with starting a fire.

Yennefer had turned back to the dirty, twisted stub, and resumed speaking to it. "He doesn't know what you can be, but I do. We'll just have to breathe a little life into you, and it will work. I know it will, even if he can barely spare a breath to speak in Jaskier's favor."

"I can hear you, Yen. You sound mad."

"He has to love both of us enough to help the Chaos work, and I know he does. It will just be like pulling teeth to make him say it."

"I'm right here, Yennefer," Geralt snarled.

"I know you are, dear. I'm just reassuring Jaskier that you care for him. And that you'll assist me when needed to make this work." She met his gaze, all her affected defiance and arrogance betrayed by pain and desperation.

Geralt sighed, for what must have been the tenth time since Yennefer had appeared in this clearing with him a Jaskier's body and a fucking magical yam.

"Yes, Yennefer. And...and Jaskier. Yes, I will help."  
  
  


_I’ll keep the king_

_When you are gone away_

_Into darkness and howling I’ll keep him from drowning_

_As our boat is untethered from the dock_

_I’ll keep the king_

_Keep him safe at bay_

_I’ll keep him safe from the dark things that wait_

_In that house at the top of the rock_

_…_

_I know your fingernails are the colour of rust (come back)_

_And your veins are empty of dust (but our voices)_

_But our voices collide with each howl of the tide_

_Singing all hell and its fire waits for us_

_The wind and its shackles, the old fishers tackles_

_The sea and its waters, every unwanted daughter_

_Every moon in the sky_

_Every promise and lie_

_All that matters_

_Is that you’re here_

_All that matters_

_All hell and its fire waits for us_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alraune magic is weird, y'all! Next up is some batshit chaos and Cintra


End file.
